Prolonged work without play makes a boring person. This is a statement that we have grown to realize as a fact. Many of the working individuals can admit that constant tending to their jobs will – yes, give them more pay checks yet make them more isolated and less interesting. Studies have shown that those who don’t give themselves some short breaks while at work are most likely the ones to experience stress and eventually give a very poor work performance. On the other hand, people who do take a break constantly are able to live happier and stress-free lives and what is most important is that they become the most efficient.
Better Memory Retention
A research done on rats proved that having breaks increases their mental retention. Rats were made to run on a track repeatedly. Through conditioning, the rats were able to demonstrate an awesome way of memorizing the whole complicated track. What is surprising is what happened after the rats were given a break.
After the rats took some breaks, they were once again launched to survey the tracks. Compared to when they were allowed to memorize the tracks without having breaks, they were able to retain much information about the track to about 20 times faster! Amazing, isn’t it?
If this experiment was successful on the rats, there is no reason why this won’t be successful on humans. This is also the reason why it is widely advised to have 10 minutes breaks in between an hour or less of study session to allow better comprehension. I am sure that you have noticed that when you tried applying it to yourself at work or in school. If not, then better experience it for yourself and see if it’s true.
Activate the Mind
It is not a secret to everyone what the effect of coffee is. Coffee is made by the main ingredient caffeine which is a stimulant. That is why those people who drink coffee just two hours before their sleeping time will have trouble sleeping. The reason for this is because the caffeine in coffee activates the hormones in the mind and the body. The person becomes more alert and on-the-go.
A study tells that drinking about 3 cups of coffee per day reduces the risk of memory gap and thus increases retention. This study was made in France to a group of late adult women aging 80 years old and over.
Although coffee increases alertness and retention, you should not care less about how much caffeine you have taken in. Having more than the recommended 3 cups of coffee per day will bring a lot of adverse effects such as tremors, depression, insomnia, fatigue and irritability and you would not want this to happen to you. Watch out for rebound effects of coffee especially if you are that much of a coffee lover.
Break Plus Coffee
What can we conclude from the information we have read above? While you are at work, make sure that you give yourself constant breaks in between to give your mind a rest. Much better take coffee during your breaks to increase your attentiveness and memory retention. Not only will you be happy about how productive you are but also there is one more thing for sure – your boss will be happier about your performance which means you will have a higher salary or more job security.